Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1887-07-01

Nd ls a sr S,,. n. alssII Iss.i lliEI
s snra,,f Hl1 ,btsf ts di n slhpsh l
thosckonlng tofrors that ] fclt ~ iaunohetl
myself at that little point OF rock, and tho
horrible sense of despair that shot through
my brain rs / realized that had jumped
short But so it was, my feet never touched
tho point; they went down into space; only
my hands and body came in contact with IL.
gripped at it with yell, but one hand slip
ped, and swung right round, holding by the
other. so that faced the stone from which |
lad sprung. Wildly stretched up with my
left hand, and this time managed to grasp a
knob OF rock, and there hung in tho fierce
red light, with thousands of feet OF empty air
beneath me- My hands were holding to
either side of the under part of the spur, SO
that its point was touching my head. There
fore even If could have found the strength
could not pull myself up. The most that
could do would be to hang for about a min
ute, and then drop down, down into the bot
| tomless pit II any man cnn imagine more
hideous position, let him speak. l felt the spur
above me shake beneath the shock OF his inn
pact, and as 10 did SO saw tho huge rocking
stone, that had been violently depressed by
him as he sprung, fly back when relieved OF
his weight. TILL for the first time during all
these centuries, 1t got beyond its balance, and
fell with most awful crash right into the
rocky chamber, which had once served the
philosopher Moot for hermitage, as l have
no doubt, forever Theoretically sealing the
passage that leads TO Sic place of life with
some hundreds of tons OF rock.
All this happened in second, and, Curl
ously enough, Notwithstanding my terrible
| position, noted 1t all involuntarily as it
were. / even remember thinking that 10
human being would go down that dread path
ngain.
Next instant felt Leo seize me by the right
wrist with both hands. By lying fiat upon
his stomach on the point Of rock he could just
reach me.
"You must let go and swing yourself clear, "
lie said, in a calm and collected voice, "and
then will try and pull you up, or we will
both go together. Are you readyP
BY way of answer i let go, first with my
left hand and then with the right, and swayed
out as a consequence clear OF the overshadow-
ing rock, my weight hanging upon Leo's
arms. IL was a dreadful moment. He was
very powerful man, knew, but would his
strength be equal to lifting me up till could
get hold on the top Of the spur, when owing
TO his position he had so little purchased
For few seconds swung to and fro,
while ho gathered himself for the effort, and
then heard his sinews cracking above mo
and felt myself lifted up as though were q
little child, till got my left arm around tho
rock, and my chest was resting on it Tho
rest WINS easy; in two or three more seconds
! was up, and we were ','ing painting side by
side, trembling like leaves, and with the cold
perspiration OF terror pouring from our skins.
And then, as before, the light went out like
lamp.
For some half hour we lay thus without
speaking word, and then at length we began
to creep along the great spur as best we might
in the dense gloom. AS we got toward the
face of the cliff, however, from which the
spur sprung out like q spike from wall, the
light increased, though only very little, for
it was night overhead.
We were wen without drop OF water TO
stay our thirst, for we had drunk the last in
tho chamber of Moot. How were we to see
to make our way through this last bowlder
strewn tunnell
Clearly all that we could do was to trust to
our sense Of feeling and attempt the passage
in tho dark; so in we crept, fearing that il
we delayed TO do so our exhaustion would
overcome us, and we should probably lie
down and die where we were
Oh, the horrors of that last tunncll The
place was strewn with rocks and we fell over
them and knocked ourselves up against them
till we were bleeding from a score OF wounds.
Our only guide was the side OF the cavern,
which we kept touching. and so bewildered
did We grow In the darkness thai we were
several times seized with the terrifying
thought that We bad turned and wero travel
ing tho wrong way. On we went, feebly,
md still more feebly, for hour after honr,
stopping every few minutes to rest, for our
strength was spent Once we fell asleep, and,
i think, must have slept for some hours, for,
when we woke, our limbs were quite stiff and
tho blood from our blows and scratches had
calIcd and was hard and dry upon our skin.
Then We dragged ourselves on again, till at
last, when despair was entering into our
hearts, we once more beheld the light of the
day and found ourselves outside the tunnel in
tho rocky fold on the outer surface OF the cliff
that, 1t will be remembered, led into it.
It was carly morning. 1t had taken us the
entire night to crawl through that dreadful
PLACE.
"One more effort, Leo" gasped, "and we
shall reach the slope where Billali Is, il he
hasn't gone. Come, don't give way" for he
had cast himself upon his face. He got up,
and, leaning on each other, we got down that
fifty feet or so of clif-somehow-I have not
the least notion how. / only remember that
we found ourselves lying in heap at the
bottom, and then once moro began to drag
ourselves along on our hands and knees to-
ward the grove where She had told Billali TO
wait her rearrival, for We could not walk an
other foot We had not gone fifty yards in
this fashion, when suddenly one of the mutes
emerged from some trees on our left through
which, l presume, he had been taking a
morning stroll, and came running up to SEQ
what sort OF strange animals we were. He
stared, and stared, and then held up his hands
in horror and nearly fell to the ground Next
he started Off as hard as he could for tho
grove, some 200 yards away. No wonder
that lie was mortified at our appearance, for
we must have been shocking sight. To be-
gin, Leo with his golden curls turned a snowy
white, his clothes nearly rent from his body,
his worn face and his handsa mass of bruises,
cuts and blood-incrusted fllth-was suf-
flciently alarming spectacle as he painfully
dragged himself along the ground, and have
no doubt that was little better. / know
that two days afterward when l looked ut
my face IN some water, l scarcely knew my
self. / have mover been famous for beauty,
but there was something besides ugliness
stamped upon my features, TINT have never
got rid of until this dny-something resenl-
Cling that Wild look with which q startled
person wakes from deep sleep more than any
thing TINT / can think Of. And really It IL
not to DO wondered at What / do wonder
at IL that we escaped at all with our reason.
Presently to my intense relief saw old Bill
lali hurrying toward us, and even then
could scarcely help smiling Mt the expression
of CONSERVATION on his digniiled countenance.
"Oh, my Baboonl my Baboonl" he cried
''my dear son, is it indeed thee and the Lioni
Why, his name that was as ripe as corn is
white like the snow. Whence come We, and
where Is tho Pig, and where, too, She-who-
must-be-obeyedi'
"Dead, both dead,n / answered.; 'but ask
not questions; help us, and give us food and
water, or we, too, shall die before thine eyes
Seest thou not that our tongues are black for
want Of waterl How can we talk thenln
"Deadn he gasped; "impossiblel She who
never dies, dead, how can it bep and then
perceiving, think, that his face was being
watched by the mutes who had come running
up he checked himself and motioned to them
to carry us to the camp, which they did.
Fortunately when we arrived some broth
was boiling on the fire, and with this Billali
fed u.s. for we were too weak to feed our
selves, thereby | firmly believe, saving us
from death by exhaustion. Then he babe the
mutes wash the blood and CRIME from us with
wet cloths, and after that we were laid down
upon piles Of aromatic grass and instantly
fell into the dead sleep OF absolute exhaustion
Of mind and body.
CHAPTER XVIII.
OVER THE MOUNTAIN.
The next thing rpcollect Is feeling of
the most dreadful stiffness, and sort Of
Vaplle idea passinQ through my half avpa koned